Method and system for maintaining privacy in the inference of merchant geolocations

Abstract

A method for inferring a merchant geolocation includes: storing a plurality of transaction data entries, each including an account identifier, merchant identifier, and transaction time; storing a plurality of merchant profiles, each including a merchant identifier and geolocation; identifying a first set of transaction data entries, each entry including a common merchant identifier; identifying a second set of transaction data entries, each entry including a different merchant identifier corresponding to a merchant within a predetermined distance of a merchant corresponding to the common merchant identifier; transmitting an identification value associated with each transaction data entry in the first and second sets; receiving geolocation data entries for each identification value, each entry including a location time and geolocation; and identifying an updated merchant geolocation for the merchant corresponding to the common merchant identifier based on the geolocation included in geolocation entries that match transaction data entries in the first set.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for inferring a merchant geolocation, comprising:
 storing, in a transaction database of a processing server, a plurality of transaction data entries, wherein each transaction data entry includes data related with a payment transaction including at least an account identifier associated with a payment account involved in the related payment transaction, a merchant identifier associated with a merchant involved in the related payment transaction, and a transaction time and/or date; 
 storing, in a merchant database of the processing server, a plurality of merchant profiles, wherein each merchant profile includes data related to a merchant including at least a merchant identifier and a merchant geolocation associated with the related merchant; 
 identifying, in the transaction database of the processing server, a first set of transaction data entries, wherein each transaction data entry in the first set includes a common merchant identifier; 
 determining, in the merchant database of the processing server, a first set of merchant profiles of the plurality of merchant profiles that each includes a respective merchant geolocation that is within a predetermined distance of the merchant geolocation included in a first merchant profile of the plurality of merchant profiles that includes the common merchant identifier that is included in each of the transaction data entries in the identified first set of transaction data entries; 
 identifying, in the transaction database, a second set of transaction data entries of the plurality of transaction data entries that each includes a different merchant identifier, where each of the different merchant identifiers are respectively included in each of the determined first set of merchant profiles; 
 transmitting, by a transmitting device of the processing server, at least an identification value associated with the account identifier included in each transaction data entry in the first set of transaction data entries and each transaction data entry in the second set of transaction data entries to a probe operator; 
 receiving, by a receiving device of the processing server, one or more geolocation data entries for each of the transmitted identification values from the probe operator, wherein each geolocation data entry includes the corresponding identification value, a location time and/or date, and a geolocation; 
 determining, by a processing device of the processing server, an updated merchant geolocation for the merchant related to the first merchant profile of the plurality of merchant profiles based on the geolocation included in received geolocation data entries that correspond to transaction data entries in the first set of transaction data entries based on correspondence between the account identifier associated with the identification value and the location time and/or date in the respective geolocation data entry and the account identifier and transaction time and/or date in the respective transaction data entry; and 
 transmitting, by the transmitting device of the processing server, a message comprising the determined updated merchant geolocation to the probe operator to cause an update to one or more consumer devices connected to a hardware-based communication network of the probe operator, wherein transmitting the message comprises transmitting the determined updated merchant geolocation to the probe operator to cause a change in a mapping application executing on the one or more consumer devices connected to the hardware-based communication network of the probe operator. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 updating, in the merchant database, the merchant geolocation in the first merchant profile to the determined updated merchant geolocation. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the received geolocation data entries do not include any personally identifiable information and the included geolocations are not home locations for consumers associated with the corresponding account identifiers. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identification value is at least one of: a device identifier, a media access control address, a serial number, a hashed value of the associated account identifier, a username, and a phone number. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the number of transaction data entries in the second set of transaction data entries is greater than the number of transaction data entries in the first set of transaction data entries. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the different merchant identifier included in each transaction data entry in the second set of transaction data entries is one of a plurality of merchant identifiers other than the common merchant identifier. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the receiving device, a merchant geolocation request from the probe operator, wherein the merchant geolocation request includes the common merchant identifier. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the receiving device, a list of account identifiers or a list of identification values associated with account identifiers from the probe operator, wherein 
 the account identifier included in each transaction data entry included in the first set of transaction data entries or the second set of transaction data entries is included in the received list of account identifiers or is associated with an identification value in the received list of identification values. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein each identification value included in the received list of identification values is associated with a mobile communication device whose geolocation data is available to the probe operator. 
     
     
       10. A system for inferring a merchant geolocation, comprising:
 a transaction database of a processing server configured to store a plurality of transaction data entries, wherein each transaction data entry includes data related with a payment transaction including at least an account identifier associated with a payment account involved in the related payment transaction, a merchant identifier associated with a merchant involved in the related payment transaction, and a transaction time and/or date; 
 a merchant database of the processing server configured to store a plurality of merchant profiles, wherein each merchant profile includes data related to a merchant including at least a merchant identifier and a merchant geolocation associated with the related merchant; 
 a processing device of the processing server configured to
 identify, in the transaction database of the processing server, a first set of transaction data entries, wherein each transaction data entry in the first set includes a common merchant identifier, and 
 determine, in the merchant database of the processing server, a first set of merchant profiles of the plurality of merchant profiles that each includes a respective merchant geolocation that is within a predetermined distance of the merchant geolocation included in a first merchant profile of the plurality of merchant profiles that includes the common merchant identifier that is included in each of the transaction data entries in the identified first set of transaction data entries; 
 identify, in the transaction database of the processing server, a second set of transaction data entries of the plurality of transaction data entries that each includes a different merchant identifier, where each of the different merchant identifiers are respectively included in each of the determined first set of merchant profiles; 
 
 a transmitting device of the processing server configured to transmit at least an identification value associated with the account identifier included in each transaction data entry in the first set of transaction data entries and each transaction data entry in the second set of transaction data entries to a probe operator; and 
 a receiving device of the processing server configured to receive one or more geolocation data entries for each of the transmitted identification values from the probe operator, wherein each geolocation data entry includes the corresponding identification value, a location time and/or date, and a geolocation, wherein 
 the processing device of the processing server is further configured to determine an updated merchant geolocation for the merchant related to the first merchant profile of the plurality of merchant profiles based on the geolocation included in received geolocation data entries that correspond to transaction data entries in the first set of transaction data entries based on correspondence between the account identifier associated with the identification value and the location time and/or date in the respective geolocation data entry and the account identifier and transaction time and/or date in the respective transaction data entry, and 
 the transmitting device of the processing server is further configured to transmit a message comprising the determined updated merchant geolocation to the probe operator to cause an update to one or more consumer devices connected to a hardware-based communication network of the probe operator, wherein the transmitting device is further configured to transmit the determined updated merchant geolocation to the probe operator to cause a change in a mapping application executing on the one or more consumer devices connected to the hardware-based communication network of the probe operator. 
 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the processing device is further configured to update, in the merchant database, the merchant geolocation in the specific merchant profile to the determined updated merchant geolocation. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the received geolocation data entries do not include any personally identifiable information and the included geolocations are not home locations for consumers associated with the corresponding account identifiers. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the identification value is at least one of: a device identifier, a media access control address, a serial number, a hashed value of the associated account identifier, a username, and a phone number. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the number of transaction data entries in the second set of transaction data entries is greater than the number of transaction data entries in the first set of transaction data entries. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the different merchant identifier included in each transaction data entry in the second set of transaction data entries is one of a plurality of merchant identifiers other than the common merchant identifier. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the receiving device is further configured to receive a merchant geolocation request from the probe operator, wherein the merchant geolocation request includes the common merchant identifier. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 10 , wherein
 the receiving device is further configured to receive a list of account identifiers or a list of identification values associated with account identifiers from the probe operator, and 
 the account identifier included in each transaction data entry included in the first set of transaction data entries or the second set of transaction data entries is included in the received list of account identifiers or is associated with an identification value in the received list of identification values. 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 17 , wherein each identification value included in the received list of identification values is associated with a mobile communication device whose geolocation data is available to the probe operator.